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Bilbao Masters 2016 - Round 2 Video Recap

Opening: A40: Robatsch (modern) defense

Player(s): Wei, Carlsen

It's a fact: Carlsen is the best player of the known - and unknown - Universe. But that's not all about the Norwegian ace; he's also amazingly good at bouncing back after a loss. Magnus doesn't lose often, but when it happens, you can be fairly sure that his next opponent is going to have a rough day at the office. Today Wei Yi, who's thought to be a probable challenger in the near future, had to taste the power of the present and, despite fighting hard, lost his game with the World Champion. Wei played a good game, showing his deep understanding of the positional subtleties he was presented with, but Carlsen didn't let his young foe escape Magnus' trademark strangling in the endgame. Nakamura vs. So was a solid draw, without any thrill. Karjakin, apparently worried about not showing his preparation, went for an Italian job against Giri. Anish got a nice development advantage out of the opening, but Sergey played well, going for an interesting counter-attack plan. Karjakin sacrificed a rook, getting into a position that looked full of possibilities for the Russian challenger. Both Giri and Karajan played the best moves in a very tactical position, which could have easily led to checkmate. After the dust settled down, the two contenders entered a theoretically drawn position. A great game. After 2 rounds Nakamura is in the sole lead with 4 points, followed by Carlsen with 3. With 2 points Giri, Karjakin, and So. Wei closes the list, with 1 point. tomorrow the first game between the World Champion and the Challenger: one of the reasons that make this event so interesting. Play starts at 10am EDT -- 16:00 CEDT.